ANIMAL MANAGEMENT
Complete control of crawling insects What is the best method for controlling the unwelcome range of crawling pests inside your house or buildings and outside in the surrounding areas?
insecticides that claim to control them.
Crawling insects are insects or pests
Despite the large number of different
that don’t fly, or if they do fly their initial
active ingredients, all insecticides fall
impact is in the larval stage before
into either of two categories. They
they gain wings in adulthood. The
are either repellent or non-repellent.
most common crawling household
Unfortunately, many insecticides don’t
pests are ants, cockroaches,
actually state this on the label, and this
silver fish, carpet beetles, mites,
can lead to the wrong product being
springtails, fleas, ticks, cluster flies,
used for the wrong pest.
bed bugs, white-tailed spiders and
Most insecticides claim efficacy
a myriad of other spider species.
on a wide range of pests but if the
Locating their habitat and
insecticide is repellent, the only insects
movements can help identify
killed will be the ones coming in direct
them as well as ascertain their
contact with the applied chemical as
numbers. It is then possible to work
it is delivered. Most of the pests that
out the best control strategy.
are not in target range at application
The most confusing aspect of crawling
(this can be most of the population) will
Not only are there many different active ingredients but there are also many different formulations, as well as traps, baits and lures of various descriptions.
avoid the sprayed area because of its
insect control is not the large number of
high level of repellence. In general, only
species, but rather the large number of
a small percentage of any population is
To ensure a pest population eventually encounters a sprayed surface, it is important to apply only a nonrepellent insecticide.” WWW.FARMLANDS.CO.NZ
visible at any one time. To ensure a pest population eventually encounters a sprayed surface, it is important to apply only a non-repellent insecticide. This should last for many months on the sprayed surface and still
Insecticides that have the best activity on all applied surfaces are water-based suspension concentrates (SC’s). These are also less likely to damage paint and wallpaper when applied. No Pests Crawling spray for indoor applications and No Pests X It Ant for outdoor use have both been designed specifically for New Zealand conditions and have a high level of efficacy as well as being suspension concentrates with no repellence. Another feature of No Pests Crawling spray is that 90 percent of the active ingredient particles are smaller than 10 microns in diameter. This very small particle size allows for optimum spray contact and assists in rapid uptake of the insecticide into the insect. To maintain the level of non-repellence it is important that sprayers do not have residues of any repellent chemicals. Either use a dedicated sprayer that is only used for nonrepellent application or clean your sprayer by filling with a solution of Persil Automatic to soak overnight and thoroughly rinsing before use. This article will be continued in the November edition of The Farmlander.
into porous surfaces and have limited
For further information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
residual activity.
Article supplied by Key Industries Limited.
be efficacious even on porous surfaces. Many formulations such as Emulsifiable Concentrates (EC’s) are absorbed
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THE FARMLANDER | 41
